Monday, September 14, 2009

We recently reported on a new Washington Post/ABC poll which caused a stir by revealing sinking support among Americans for the war in Afghanistan. There was another, similar, poll conducted recently, this one by CNN and Opinion Research Corporation.

The pollsters have evidently been asking this question for a while now, and they nicely include the results of similar polling done in the past. Here's the percentages of Americans who responded that they oppose the war in Afghanistan:

To that list, one could add the results of a survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project conducted last year. In it, respondents around the world answered the question:

"Do you think the U.S. and NATO should keep military troops in Afghanistan until the situation has stabilized, or do you think the U.S. and NATO should remove their troops as soon as possible?" (link to pdf of results)

The answers include some of no small interest (percentages are of those who support a quick withdrawal):

Spain: 56%Russia: 72%Turkey: 72%

Egypt: 80%Jordan: 76%Lebanon: 66%

Pakistan: 72%China: 69%Japan: 60%

While Spain, Turkey and Jordan have troops or trainers in Afghanistan, the rest do not. However, Japan has a substantial refueling arrangement with the Western occupation forces, while Russia has a transport agreement.

Addendum:

A recent poll done for McClatchy newspapers reveals significant cleavages in American opinion along racial, class and gender lines. Though this poll asks a different question than those above, namely, on the addition of more troops, it puts overall opposition to the escalation at 56%. Several demographics polled showed a marked tendency to oppose the troop build-up: